In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, add the flour, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until dough is smooth and butter is incorporated into the mix evenly.

Measure the dough by Tablespoons and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches a part. You can decorate with nuts or chocolate chips at this time by placing them in the center of the dough.

Place cookie sheet in your preheated 350 degree oven and bake for approximately 13 - 15 minutes or until the edges are light brown. Being careful not to over bake them and have the edges too brown. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.

After cookies have cooled you can glaze them, dip half of the cookie in melted chocolate or sandwich them together with a fruit preserve in the middle or enjoy their buttery goodness without embellishments.